'I know Putin': American basketball star travels to Russia to get colleague out of prison

Former NBA player Dennis Rodman said on Aug. 20 that he plans to visit Russia to secure the release of Britney Greener, the WNBA star who was sentenced to nine years in prison earlier this month for drug charges. NBCNews.

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The former NBA player tried to cultivate the image of an informal US diplomat in North Korea and Russia.

“I got permission to go to Russia to help this girl,” Rodman told NBC News at a restaurant in D.C. “I will try to go this week.”

He will do more harm than help, a senior Biden administration official said.

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“This is public information that the administration has made an important offer to the Russians, and anything other than further negotiations through the established channel could complicate and hamper release efforts,” the official said.

If Rodman goes to Russia, it won't be the first time he's engaged in informal diplomacy with an international leader who has strained relations with the US.

Rodman has maintained a relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over the past decade, making numerous visits to the hermit kingdom. He called Russian President Vladimir Putin "cool" after a trip to Moscow in 2014. In 2018, he appeared on the sidelines of Donald Trump's meeting with Kim in Singapore. And he credited himself with helping to free American Kenneth Bay from North Korea.

The US has imposed tough sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine and is helping Ukrainian forces. Griner's imprisonment has created an additional source of tension between the two countries and a potential field for diplomacy.

Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the UN who has been involved in past hostage talks, told The Associated Press this month that he is optimistic about the chances of a prisoner exchange that would bring Griner and fellow American Paul Whelan back to the US.

The U.S. offer to Russia involved trading Griner and Whelan for imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Rodman, who came to Washington, does not need special US permission to enter Russia - a visa from Moscow is enough. But the State Department has issued a travel advisory that strongly discourages US citizens from visiting the country.

“Don’t go to Russia,” the State Department advises, citing a range of reasons, including “an unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” potential “harassment of U.S. citizens by Russian security officials,” and the possibility of “wrongful detention.”

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Although he has a much better relationship with Kim, Rodman has expressed confidence that he understands the Russian president.

“I know Putin too well,” he said.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• February 17 in Russia took US basketball star arrested Britney Greener.
• The Biden administration proposed exchange Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year US prison term, in a potential deal to free two Russian-held Americans, Britney Griner and Paul Whelan.
• In the meantime, Griner was found guilty of intentionally importing drugs into Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison conclusions

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